Paulette L. Williams was born on October 18, 1948. She was born into an upper-middle class African American family that lived in Trenton, New Jersey. Her family moved to St. Loius (Segregated at the time) where she was sent to a White school and her family encountered many racial attacks. At the age of 13, her family moved back to New Jersey and she graduated from high school. She graduated Barnard College and University of South Carolina in American Studies. She married the first year of college, but it did not last. She changed her name in anger to Ntozakhe means she who has her own things and shange means she who walks/lives with lions,(pronounced en-to-zaki shong-gay)She is an American play write and a poet. She fights for sexism and most of her poetry is based all around the culture of black feminism including relating issues such as race and feminism. Ntozake Shange is most famous for her book, ForColoredGirls but you probably already knew that! Her most famous work was a 20-part poem that chronicled the lives of African American women in the United States. First the poem was a poem, then a stage play, then a book, and finally turned into a movie in 2010, directed by Tyler Perry. She has won many awards and hopefully continues her love for the arts.
Poet Hero: Ntozake Shange I am Ntozake Shange. I named myself in the African language called Zulu. Ntozake: "She who comes with her own things." I am prepared self-reliant independent. Shange: "She who walks with lions." I have great courage strength wisdom. When I was a child, I had exciting adventures. I travelled to many places. Mexico, Haiti, Cuba, Europe. I listened to music Read books Watched dancers Argued with scholars. Now, I am a woman with many talents. I create poems, stories, plays, characters, dances. I create poems about Black women which help us grow strong. I create stories about Black women which make our daydreams as real as life. I create plays about Black women which tell histories of our pleasure and pain struggle and triumph joy and anger fear and strength. I create dances about Black women whose rhythms remind us of our African roots. When I create poems, stories, plays, characters and dances Hear the voices of Black women. See the beauty of Black women. Taste the sweat of Black women. Feel the strength of Black women.
Paulette L. Williams was born on October 18, 1948. She was born into an upper-middle class African American family that lived in Trenton, New Jersey. Her family moved to St. Loius (Segregated at the time) where she was sent to a White school and her family encountered many racial attacks. At the age of 13, her family moved back to New Jersey and she graduated from high school. She graduated Barnard College and University of South Carolina in American Studies. She married the first year of college, but it did not last. She changed her name in anger to Ntozakhe means she who has her own things and shange means she who walks/lives with lions, (pronounced en-to-zaki shong-gay)She is an American play write and a poet. She fights for sexism and most of her poetry is based all around the culture of black feminism including relating issues such as race and feminism. Ntozake Shange is most famous for her book, For Colored Girls but you probably already knew that! Her most famous work was a 20-part poem that chronicled the lives of African American women in the United States. First the poem was a poem, then a stage play, then a book, and finally turned into a movie in 2010, directed by Tyler Perry. She has won many awards and hopefully continues her love for the arts.
Poet Hero: Ntozake Shange
I am Ntozake Shange.
I named myself in the African language called Zulu.
Ntozake: "She who comes with her own things."
I am prepared self-reliant independent.
Shange: "She who walks with lions."
I have great courage strength wisdom.
When I was a child, I had exciting adventures.
I travelled to many places.
Mexico, Haiti, Cuba, Europe.
I listened to music
Read books
Watched dancers
Argued with scholars.
Now, I am a woman with many talents.
I create poems, stories, plays, characters, dances.
I create poems about Black women which help us grow strong.
I create stories about Black women which make our daydreams as real as life.
I create plays about Black women
which tell histories of our pleasure and pain
struggle and triumph
joy and anger
fear and strength.
I create dances about Black women
whose rhythms remind us of our African roots.
When I create poems, stories, plays, characters and dances
Hear the voices of
Black women.
See the beauty of
Black women.
Taste the sweat of
Black women.
Feel the strength of
Black women.
Virginia L. edited this page*
Websites:
http://comminfo.rutgers.edu/~cybers/shange2.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ntozake_Shange